posted 01-06-200909:36
It was laid on my heart at the end of last year to set aside time privately and/or with my husband to take communion. We have begun to do so, and each day, it is a time of worship and a time of connection for me to God, reflecting on what Jesus did.

I think that we get so caught up in rules, do's and don'ts that we forget to keep it simple-and remember Jesus as He instructed us to do so when we 'eat and drink in remembrence of Him"

Jesus simply said to do it in remembrance of me, and even used the word “often.” The Bible doesn’t give us a specific time period, once a day, once a week, or once a month. It really becomes an issue each Believer needs to pray about and let the Holy Spirit guide you. Communion is an act of remembrance for those who placed their faith in Jesus Christ.

For the Christian, communion is a very holy, somber, special time of reflection both on our life and the sacrifice our Lord made for us. May you be strengthened and challenged each time you partake of the bread and wine, remembering that Jesus gave His very life for us, so how can we do anything less for Him?

I've recently been involved in discussions elsewhere about the presence of Christ at communion. Some very interesting thoughts have come to my mind in this regard as I have read and pondered the thoughts of others on this subject. I will share my thoughts on communion and then give you a website to a Catholic periodical which hilights one interesting aspect of communion--that of fellowship with the body of Christ, the church. Please consider that I do not hold to the Catholic teaching that the bread and wine actually become the body and blood of Christ yet in this one article, which does not make that teaching foremost, are some enlightening thoughts regarding communion as a fellowship with Christ and the body--the assembly of his body of believers.

My thoughts first:

When Adam and Eve sinned they forfeited everything that God had promised on condition of obedience. As traitors, alienated from God's kingdom, they were no longer entitled to receive any blessings from the hand of God. Everything which had been created for them was lost. If Jesus had not promised his life in exchange for their death they would have died quickly for they would not have been granted one breath, one drop of water, or one morsel of food. When the sinned they gave up every blessing from God, everything needful for their happiness and survival. So with every breath we take, every drop of water we drink, every morsel of food we eat, we must give thanks to God. For it is by God's grace through the willing sacrifice of Jesus Christ that we continue to receive blessings from God.

So often we think of the reward we will receive from God for our good works. Yet, we have already received our payment through the blood of Jesus. Christ has absolved us of our debt to the law as sinners and has granted to us his life in exchange for our death. By virtue of his atoning sacrifice and meritorious righteousness we become heirs of all that heaven has to offer.

So when we come to eat together, even our regular meals, we can discern the Lord's body that was freely given so that we might receive the blessings from God's hands. And, when we celebrate communion with the greater body of Christ we can discern his body, the church.

After rereading the Catholic article I decided not to include the link here. I've touched on some of the thoughts in that article that I wanted to present.